Second period of Devotional Practice (2nd Yama Sadhana)

Morning Worship: sādhu saṅge anartha nivṛtti

Gradual procedure has been shown how to get progress and the highest objective of Krishna prema.

In the first period of pastimes you should start with sraddha. Without sraddha no bhajan can be done. Sraddha is firm faith that by serving Krishna we serve all. That sort of firm faith should be there. Then the second period, Bhakti Vinod Thakur has taught us is Sadhu sanga, association of bona-fide sadhus, those who have got one-pointed devotion to Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. Bona-fide Sadhu is identical with bona-fide Guru. Taking shelter of a guru and as per his direction to perform bhajan and by bhajan to remove all ulterior desires, this is to be remembered in the second period of devotional practice.

nāma grahaṇer kālākāla-vicāra nāhi
nāma sarvaśakti samanvita

There is no consideration of proper or improper time in regard to chanting the Lord’s holy names which are fully endowed with all potencies. Sadhusanga, Gurupadashraya and then bhajana kriya.when performed, anartha nivritti i.e. all unwanted ulterior desires from the heart are removed. Without bhajan will anarthas leave easily? Among all types of Bhajan, the best and the topmost is Harinama Sankirtan. Supreme Lord has bestowed all powers to His Names. In Kaliyuga the only way, the only shelter is chanting the Holy Name. There is no restriction of time, space, rules and regulations for utterance and remembrance of the Holy Names. The Holy Names can be chanted at any time, in any place and under all circumstances. Nama is All-powerful.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Sikshastaka second verse while singing the glories of the Holy Name expresses regret on the misfortune of the conditioned souls of this world that in spite of making it so simple and easy, there is no liking for chanting of the Holy Names.

nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis
tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ
etādṛśi tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi
durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ
(2rd Verse of Sri Shikshastaka)

“O Supreme Lord! Your Holy Name bestows all kinds of eternal welfare to the conditioned souls. So You have manifested in this world with Your Principal Names like Krishna, Govinda, Gopinath, etc. You have bestowed all powers in these Names. To remember and chant the Holy Names You have not imposed any restrictions regarding time and place, rules and regulations. Any time, any place and under any circumstances one can chant the Holy Names. Oh Lord! You are so very merciful to the conditioned souls, out of great compassion You have made it easy and simple for the conditioned souls to remember and chant the Holy Names, but due to my great misfortune which is due to offenses to the Holy Name, I have not availed the opportunity to chant the Holy Names with all efforts which has been made so easily obtainable. I have got no liking for the Holy Name and my mind goes in other direction.”

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is expressing His extreme regret to see the sad plight of the conditioned souls of this world. How unfortunate! He Himself is submitting His prayers to Supreme Lord, He is acting as a devotee. O Supreme Lord, You have appeared in this world with different Names, original Names, all these Names are All-good (Auspicious) Krishna, Govinda, Gopinath, having no direct or indirect connection with this material world like Vishwanath, Paramatma, all this, but Krishna, Govinda, Gopinath, transcendental spiritual Name. And You have given all powers to the Names and You have not imposed any restrictions, no condition/restriction, wherever, in any place, at any time, in any circumstance you can remember, chant and hear, all these devotional practice of Harinam you can do. Your grace is so much, compassion is so much but my misfortune is such that although I have got this opportunity to do Harinam to get the highest objective by doing Harinama, I have got no liking to do Harinam because of the tenfold offenses. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has expressed His extreme regret.

Name and the Named same. If you chant Name, Name is not something different from the Named. Our Param Gurudeva made his sevak a medium and gave a teaching. In Sree Chaitanya Math he used to serve Prabhupad very well. Though he was a brahmachari, all used to call him Sajjanananda Maharaj. He served Prabhupad for ten years. After that he placed a question before his Gurudeva. He said: Guruji, I served you for almost for ten years now. But I did not get anything. We also have such questions with us, but to place it before Gurudeva we have no courage, we feel ashamed. Everybody wished to hear the answer. This question is of all of us, so they were all eager to hear, their ears sharpened and they all came there. What did our Param Gurudeva Srila Bhakti Siddhanth Saraswati say? He simply asked, have you received Harinama? Yes, I have got. Then, what else remains? Name is Named, Bhagavan, this knowledge, realization is not there. Bhagavan’s Name, form, qualities, pastimes and associates is one, there is no difference. First manifests in the form of Name, and when chant the Holy Name without offences then form, qualities, pastimes will manifest in that order, they are not different. You chant the Names and you do not get the association of Bhagavan, it is not like that. We have hindrances (vyavadhan) there. For example, there is a glass bottle with honey inside and tightly corked. Seeing honey from outside if one licks can he taste honey? I licked it and saw. Is it sweet? Oh, no. Bitter? No. Sour? No, nothing. What taste will glass have? Like this, I licked the various ulterior motives covering Bhagavan’s name, and did not have any direct contact with Bhagavan’s name. By little contact, by Namabhasa Ajamila got liberated. Not only all his sins got destroyed, Namabhasa became the process, sadhan that lead him to attain even liberation. Sanketya Namabhas is of inferior destination, goal, complete Harinam did not occur. Chanting with Nama-aparadha bestows material fruits. If one commits higher degree of offense of blaspheming Vaishnavas and Guru, then it will lead one to hell, otherwise ordinary Nama aparadh will bestow material fruits, Holy Name has so many glories.

You should have the aptitude to do Harinama. Then you will get everything. Everything has been given by our Divine Master. He has given Name and everything. But we have no feeling, nothing, because of the committal of offenses. For that reason a conditioned soul like me is deprived of the actual benefit.

aneka-lokera vāñchā — aneka-prakāra
kṛpāte karila aneka-nāmera pracāra
khāite śuīte yathā tathā nāma laya,
deśa-kāla-niyama nāhi sarvasiddhi haya,
sarvaśakti nāme dila kariyā vibhāga,
āmāra durdaiva nāme nāhi anurāga
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita Antya 20.17-19)

All the time keep on chanting Holy Names, even while eating, sleeping. If one can do so he will attain all perfections. Not doing but just speaking nothing will happen. I just speak and do not do anything. What will happen? If one dies, in next birth what will happen, who knows? Now got opportunity, got association of sadhus, got this special kaliyuga in the 7th Manavantar, and very easily one can attain this transcendental divine love (prema). I lose it. Very intelligent? Very foolish indeed!!

You have to remember whatever Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur has said. You should go through the whole Bhajana Rahasya.

ekānta bhaktera mātra kīrtan-smaraṇa,
anya parve ruchi nāhi haya pravartana,
bhāvera sahita haya śrīkṛṣṇa-sevana,
svārasikī-bhāva krame haya uddīpana

A pure devotee who has got one-pointed devotion to Lord has got liking only to perform devotion of chanting and remembering Sri Krishna (kirtan and samaran). By kirtan all other limbs of devotion are performed, nothing will remain left out. But if one understands kirtan with ordinary material world’s meaning then it will not work. In the beginning of his commentary to Sri Sri Chaitanya Charitamrta first verse, Prabhupad did not write there ‘All Glories to Sri Guru Gaurango’. He wrote ‘Sri Krishna Kirtanaya namah.’ Does anyone offer Pranams to kirtan? Sri Krishnaya namah, Sri Ramaya namah, pranams are offered to a Personality. He said, Sri Krishna Kirtanaya namah i.e. Pranams to Sri Krishna Kirtan. Sri Krishna Kirtan and Sri Krishna nama both are one, to give this teaching. Who can perform Sri Krishna Kirtan? One who has the knowledge/realization that the Name and the Named are non-different. All Glories to Sri Gurudeva who can perform Sri Krishna Kirtan!! I cannot do, my Gurudeva can do. An ignorant person like me, how can he do? And who is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? He is Sri Krishna Sankirtana Vigraha. All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In these three lines he wrote, he told everything. In his commentary to Sri Siksastakam in Sri Chaitanya Charitamrta he wrote Prahlad mentioned about nine forms of devotion and in Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu there is mention of 64 limbs of devotion, but there are infinite number of devotional forms. How can I understand? There are 64 principal kinds of devotional practices. Those who know mathematics permutation & combination, some percent of two-three devotional practices produce, say 000.2, 000.1, 1, 2, in this way one type of devotion, in this way 64 kinds of devotion may be infinite kinds of devotion. It is not impossible. Among these infinite kinds of devotion, Sri Krishna Kirtan is the topmost, Supreme-most, not just supreme. superlative, double superlative. Kirtan leads to remembrance, also hearing, and with it comes various other devotions.

Ananya bhakta, a pure devotee has inclination to perform only devotion of chanting and remembering Sri Krishna. Those who serve in different moods like servitude, friendship, parental mood and consort-hood, those moods which come and go are not referred to here as ‘Bhava.’ The mood in devotion that remains permanently it is called stayibhava, that mood that is permanently existing in me after performing bhajan. When you will be fixed in that permanent mood, then you will do all service from the core of the heart to get attachment. At present there is no mood, there is no relation, still have to do, will do. Today not well, so not possible, will see later. We are caught up in the activities of the body. But one who is established will think of the main subject of bhajan even while he is resting/sleeping. Always thinking about the body if one dies, he will get another body, nothing else. This is not intelligence.

ekānta bhakatera kriyā mudrā rāgodita

A pure devotee’s all actions are inspired by pure love originating from the heart, from delightful relation (ragodita). There is no need of any persuasion. He will think now I have to serve my Worshipable deities by fanning Them, now I should be offering Them water, now I should be giving Them rest. His all attention is on service and no chance of committing mistakes, performing appropriate services at the right time. Even when there is instruction from Prabhu not to serve him and to perform some other service, he will sometimes serve even over-riding the instructions understanding the internal mood of Prabhu. Opposite service which is aparadh, over-ruling, crossing over like how Govinda served Mahaprabhu crossing over His body. Why you did not go to eat? How shall I go? How you came? I came to serve you but now I cannot go to eat for myself.

sarva tyāga karile o chārā sukaṭhina,
pratiṣṭhāśātyāge yatna payibe praviṇa

We can renounce everything but it is very difficult to give up the desire for prestige, name and fame. Till this desire is given up, Bhakti is not possible. Prestige, desire for name and fame is compared to pig’s stool because it is born from false ego and because of this false ego there is possibility of committing offenses to vaishnavas and guru. When a person is lusty or has lusty desires he feels inside he is doing dirty things, there is some humility in him but with the desire for prestige there is no humility, there is false ego because of which he may commit aparadh to Vishnu, Vaishnavas and Guru. So it is called pig’s stool. Once in Kolkata Sridhar Deva Goswami Maharaj spoke like this. One listener felt pained to hear this, he came and told Maharaj it is acceptable that desire for gold and women is bad, but to call desire for name and fame as pig’s stool which feeds on stools of others is not good. Why you used such a bad word? Maharaj replied I did not find any word worst than this, so I used that word. If I knew any word more worst than this then I would have used that.

prabhate gabhīra rātre madhyāhne sandhyāye,
anartha chāriyā lao nāmera āśraya

ei rūpe kīrtana smaraṇa jei kare,
kṛṣṇa-kṛpā haya śigrha, anāyāse tare

All the time one should do Harinam. In this way if you do kirtan and remembrance then you will get the objective. Krishna will be gracious to you, you will get compassion of Krishna, grace of Krishna and very easily you can get the objective, easily and early.

śraddhā kari’ sādhu sange kṛṣṇa-nāma laye

With firm faith one should chant the Name of Krishna in the company of bonafide sadhus. With asadhus no Krishna nama is possible.

‘anartha sakala jaye nistha upajaye.. prathakale nityalila karibe cintana’ Along side to think about the eternal transcendental pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-krishna. By remembrance of the pastimes we can get development of pure divine love. Whatever devotional practices we do, we should do praying for grace. Vaishnavas do like this praying for grace before and after kirtans, Harikathas, which we feel a waste of time. It is not a waste of time, without grace no service is possible. Here too, to think of the pastimes of Sri Sri Radhakrishna we have to pray for the grace of Guru, vaishnavas and Sri Sri Radha Krishna Themselves, then the pastimes will self-manifest.

Morning pastimes of Radha-Krishna

rādhāṁ snāta-vibhūṣitāṁ vrajapayāhūtāṁ sakhībhiḥ prage
tad-gehe vihitānna-pāka-racanāṁ kṛṣṇāvaśeṣanām
kṛṣṇaṁ buddham avāpta-ḍhenu-sadanaṁ nirvyūḍha-go-dohanaṁ
susnātaṁ kṛta-bhojanaṁ saha-caraistaṁ cātha tāṁ cāśrye
(Sri Govinda-lilamrta)

Radharani, after taking bath in the morning decorates Herself with beautiful dress and various ornaments for Krishna’s pleasure, comes from Javat. Everything is for Krishna’s pleasure, this is vairagya. ‘vishiste parama purushe raga rati’, how much attachment you have for the Lord that much detachment you will have with the world. Radharani has the topmost vairagya because She has topmost attachment (sarvottam asakti) to Krishna, does everything for Krishna’s pleasure. So by Her grace or the grace of the gopis who are Her expansions we can get such bhava, not by our efforts.

In this Kaliyuga we have come in Prabhupad’s preceptorial channel/lineage where we are bestowed the opportunity to serve in unnatojjvala rasa. Those who have taken specially sanyas in their mantras it is given, to chant mantras in gopi-bhava, but it has to be accepted. If not paid attention to, then it is unfortunate.

Yashoda Mayya calls Radharani to come and cook, thinks if Krishna eats the food prepared by Radharani He will have a long life. She does not consider Krishna is Bhagavan, He is my child, my son and Krishna likes this. He wants this love. Krishna is the object of all love. There is no disturbance in this love from rules and regulations, vidhis. Yashoda devi can cook herself, but she calls Radharani. By eating the food prepared by Radharani my child will have a long life. But if we go to Yadhoda Mayya and to make her understand say Krishna is Swayam Bhagavan, anantakoti brahmanda nayaka, Master of Infinite crores of brahmandas and not to worry about increasing His life, then you will not have Vraj prema. You will be out from Vraj prema. Then you will remain in this world and perform vidhi marg bhakti if we go to teach Yashoda devi like a fool. Yashoda Devi is in vraj bhava, beautiful vraj bhava. Radharani comes with Her sakhis and also come along new new sakhis and on all Radharani has Her attention. Just like Krishna has His attention on all, so also Radharani. Radharani is even more magnanimous than Krishna. So Nandanandana Krishna taking Her bhava, mood, came as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. She thinks of the eternal welfare of all. When she sees some sakhis face down, depressed, She will give her seva, but eagerness in seva should be there. After cooking and offering to Krishna, She accepts the remnants of prasad lovingly and also the gopis. This is the pastime of Radharani.

In this pastime it is shown that seva should be performed with the knowledge of relationship. Cooking is also service. We may say you ask me to cook, do you know from which family I have come? Ask me to wash vessels? These are Bhagavan’s vessels, cooking is for Bhagavan. If you have no desire to cook for Bhagavan, how Bhakti is possible? What is the meaning of Bhakti? All senses and sense objects have to be engaged in the service of Bhagavan, engage them naturally.

Once when I went to Sarbhog Gaudiya Math, there were 4-5 persons there and not many visitors to the math. They came with some complaints to me. They said: I go for collections and doing collections and collections I am dying. You do not see. This man doing puja again and again, is dying, another man cooking cooking is dying and another washing vessels all the time is dying. This is a small math, so you do not see. We have to hire some help, extra hands to do collection, for cooking, for cleaning vessels, for performing puja, like this. They were suggesting all this. What we will do? We will wag our tails, eat and sleep and spoil our whole life. Is this life? Actually one person can do the service of five persons, if he wills. Why he will die? How much one serves, he will be saved.

So here we have see the ideal of Radharani, just reading will not do.

And Krishna is sleeping. It is only an excuse to give service to others that He is sleeping. We also doze off and think Krishna is like us, and we give service to others. He gives service to sakhas, and when they are unsuccessful to wake Him up, then He gives service to Yashoda Mayya, Purnamasi, to wake him up. Bhagavan is not like us. We get physically tired quickly and sit to hear Harikatha and sleep.

When Krishna wakes up in the morning Nanda Maharaj and Yashoda Mayya are happy. This is affection, pure parental affection. Krishna is very pleased with that. ‘mora sakha, mora putra, mora prananath’ like this. Then He goes for go-dohan, milking of the cows. Why to milk the cows? Just by the sight of Krishna cows give milk of their own. Krishna touches the cows and the cows are pleased. Then He has bath with sakhas and then all sit together for breakfast and Yashoda Mayya serves.

Is not sakhya rasa the best? All the time roaming with Krishna here and there, and Radharani and Gopis, and Yashoda Mayya do a whole lot of cooking, and I sit with Krishna and eat nicely. Is not sakhya rasa the best?